A new, improved Crater "Notch" Trail? (Keith Hammer photos)
Fifteen Swan Rangers inspected the "winter" logging of the Crater Notch Trail on Saturday, February 21, and it's not pretty!
Montana DNRC promised to allow Stoltze Lumber to "sanitation log" the area only on "snow covered/frozen ground," but the ground and the Crater Notch Trail sure are tore up!
Though DNRC has "suspended" the logging for now, YOUR EMAILS ARE NEEDED TODAY to get the trail repaired and insure logging on bare ground is not allowed!
Please review the photos below, then email DNRC's Dave Poukish at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) . Urge him to:
1. Send crews in with hand tools to clear and redig damaged trail segments ASAP.
2. Allow no more heavy equipment on this already damaged, steep hillside, and to stick to his promise to not allow it on bare ground if there is any future logging!
Click here to learn more about this controversial logging project. We'll keep you posted on further developments!
Rangers head up the haul road to the logging on the hillside.
Where's Waldo? The Crater Notch Trail runs straight away from center bottom of this photo.
Again, the trail runs straight away from the bottom center of this photo!
Yep, the Crater Notch Trail runs/ran straight away through that pile of logging slash! (Photo taken standing on the trail).
The whole idea of logging on frozen, snow covered ground is to prevent dozer tracks from gouging the ground and trail, as they did here and elsewhere! (Trail runs straight away through center of photo).
The Rangers' smiles seemed bigger here, before the trail inspection :( . . . . .
The Swan Rangers meet every Saturday at the Echo Lake Cafe for breakfast at 8:30, leaving at 9:30 for a partial day outing in the northern Swan Mountains and foothills.
They carpool from the Swan River School parking lot next to the Cafe.
When hiking in bear country, remember to carry bear spray and avoid the 3-D's: dawn, dusk, and darkness.
Everyone is welcome!